Seven deaths tallied so far from heat, storms

Mayor, governor urge utilities to speed power restoration

Tony Sartori of Baltimore tries to stay cool. He has been without power since Friday's storm knocked out electricity all along Gittings Avenue and knocked a large tree onto his house.
(Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / June 25, 2012)

The downed trees meant extra activity for companies like Arbor Tech Tree Care Inc. in Baltimore. Tracey Allen described what would usually be a quiet time of year as "very insane. We've been on the go since 7 o'clock Saturday morning, and it hasn't stopped."

She said the 24-hour service line rang at her house around midnight, even before the storm cleared out. Hours later, the company made its first service call, and the crew of five has been going ever since.

Minnie Allen, filling in for the regular secretary at Allen & Sons Tree Service in Parkville, said the first call for service came about 1 a.m. Saturday, soon after the storm blew through. Since then, she said, the company's crew of eight or nine employees has been going "just constantly, nonstop" from about 6 a.m. to 8 or 8:30 in the evening.

Most of the calls have come from Parkville, she said. "They were hit pretty hard."

Meanwhile, restaurants suffered as they risked losing inventory to spoilage. City health officials closed 31 eateries for selling food without power over the weekend.

Cassandra Cary, a Baltimore City health inspector, said she'd closed 12 establishments when she was on patrol Saturday after the storm.

"Some were frying chicken as I walked in the door," Cary said. "They know that it's dangerous. But I guess they don't want to lose their product or commodity."